Spencer's At The Waterfront

It was one of the best experiences we have had in Canada. We were taken care by CJ and he was absolutely brilliant.his attention to detail and checking with my daughter for her choice of meal was really nice. His hospitality deserves more than 5 stars. My wife and daughter loved the crab cakes and the Ravioli. Will definitely come back to enjoy more of the food and hospitality.

What an amazing experience. Everything was perfect. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table. We were a large group - ten total - celebrating a very special moment.

Our server was top-notch. Effectively catering to every guest without hovering.

And the food. Wow!!! Everything was perfect and tasty.

Coupled with the view, all around, this has been an amazing experience.

Raymond Mc.

A classic waterfront location with a great menu and very nice staff

The food was good. I went for Brunch with a friend and her son. She had the steak and eggs and totally enjoyed it. I had the prime rib melt and it was okay, only that the cheese was a lot and I forgot to tell the waiter I didn’t want cheese, so that was my fault. The waitress(can’t remember her name now) was okay, nothing extra about her service. It did look like she was exhausted though as compared to others, she kind of looked stressed out.

Generally, we had a good time until it was time to pay. First, we wanted separate bills and my friend had told her she will pay for my drink but she still put it on my bill and I paid for it. Then she brought the pay machine and left me to pay. As soon as she saw I did not leave any tip, she immediately complained and asked why.. I told her no reason(as I only usually tip for exceptional service) , and she went ahead to say that because I didn’t leave a tip, she would have to pay 7% of the total order(I think?) out of her pay check to the restaurant. My friend then said she would leave a tip but she kept talking and complaining and giving an attitude that left me shocked. She did not do anything extra except taking our orders and maybe bringing us drinks. I left the place feeling a little harassed. It’s my money, I paid for the food and shouldn’t be told how to spend my money.

The food is great but not sure how I feel about going back .

We had our wedding at Spencer’s! It’s a great location with ample parking & accessible. Beautiful sunset views by the lake. Staff is great and organized! Food was the same as their usual great restaurant food even when cooking for 75 people at once. The room can accommodate up to 110 I think but I would recommend for groups of 80 and under for a very comfortable amount of space and ample dance floor.

Excellent lakeside location, great clam chowder, outdoor patio, great summer spot, expensive,

Very friendly and attentive staff. Nice venue and views. Cute place for a special occasion —although I came for a casual lunch. Food was really good. Paid parking outside and you can go for a nice walk along the lake after.

We've been coming to Spencer's since 2019, and for whatever reason have never thought about writing a review until this evening, after yet another amazing dining experience! Tonight we were served by Robert who we first met around Canada Day 2019. There are good servers and there are great servers who become the reason why you often visit the same restaurant over and over again...this is Robert for us! Yes the food is delicious, yes you can't get a better view of the lake unabstracted, yes the ambience and cleanliness of Spencer's is great, but the 'guest experience' delivered by Robert is so stellar that it just makes your day that much more special! If you want to go to a restaurant knowing you will never be disappointed, Spencer's is the place - ask to sit at Robert's section if he is there! Took a pic of our first drink and then desserts....everything else in between was just too delicious coupled with little enjoyable conversations here and there with Robert that we didn't even think of taking pictures - we just wanted to take in the moment!

An awesome dining experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent food and service in front of the lake.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic restaurant, delicious food with nice portions. Accommodating of food allergies / intolerances. Excellent drink menu and wine list options. Enjoy a classy meal overlooking the lake!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I hadn't been to this restaurant in years because the food quality left a lot to be desired. After all this time, I decided to give it another shot on October 26, 2024, but unfortunately, it was a big disappointment. I ordered the Prime Rib Sandwich, and the first half was so dry it was almost inedible; the side salad wasn’t fresh either. The latte was even worse—honestly, I make better coffee at home. It looked like the barista attempted latte art, but it ended up as a messy blob. I won’t be coming back here again.

Parking: The staff informed me that there’s additional parking available behind the restaurant and across the street.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

My family and I tried Spencer's for the first time on September 15th, 2024. Atmosphere/Ambiance was amazing, and the food was unique given the more premium ingredients associated with each dish.

I highly recommend the Branzino for anyone who likes fish, and the Gnocchi for anyone who likes pasta.

For myself, I tried the gnocchi and found the dish incredibly mellow! Very soft textures but also very rich in their ingredients. When I tried the Gnocchi, Spencer's used a chive emulsion. Though it seems Spencer's likes to modify their menu every month by retaining the dishes (i.e., Gnocchi), but modifying their ingredients to present a sense of newness for returning customers!

The Branzino (I believe it is a sea bass) presents a rich flavour profile which includes a Livornese sauce. I tasted hints of olive oil, eggplant, tomatoes and many other ingredients that the staff at Spencer's could probably articulate better! Of all the dishes, the Branzino impressed me who is Chinese and likes to steam and cook my own fish at home!

The Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti however was disappointing for 2 reasons: a) My nephew who ordered the dish was given 1 scallop and 1 jumbo shrimp (with multiple baby shrimp). I don't know but 1 scallop for a near $50 spaghetti dish that has "Scallop" in the name is cheap... just my honest opinion. I can let that go though, as the second reason was more disappointing. The dish itself was incredibly salty. We found that the pasta itself (and not the sauce) was salty which perhaps was a mistake on the chef's end. It is very reasonable to assume that everyone's salt tolerance is different, but given that my 12 year old nephew found the dish salty (which my sister and myself proceeded to agree with after trying his dish), I think that's a red flag given my nephew loves pasta and is already learning how to cook for himself...

Unfortunately, our waitress did not give us a discount on our bill which I presume is customary especially with high-end restaurants that take great pride in their food. For that alone, my final review will be 4 stars as opposed to 5. Honest mistakes such as overly salty pasta happen and that's okay with me personally. But I think compensation or at least a small discount would demonstrate that you care about your customers.

Summary:
-I Highly recommend the Gnocchi (soft, mellow, relaxing dish) and Branzino (rich flavour profile from the sauce)
-Beware of the Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti (pasta may be salty, and you may only receive 1 scallop for a near $50 dish)
-Compensation (e.g., discounts on the bill) may not be given even if a dish is unsatisfactory to a customer

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Very poor customer service.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Tried Spencer’s for the first time a couple weeks ago and overall it was a good dining experience. The service was outstanding, our waiter was on top of everything, made sure wine was topped up before empty. The atmosphere and views are some of the best in town, this helps justify the cost. The food was good, maybe my expectations were too high given the rest of the experience, but the food was just good, not bad, but good. I had heard this was the same CDC from Black Tree which I went to many times, specifically for gnocchi, that dish here wasn’t nearly as good as I remember. Also my crab cake to start want evenly cooked however the presentation on everything was great. If it weren’t for the outstanding service this review might go another direction however I would definitely return and try something else on their menu.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5